


together we’re here (and that’s all that matters)

by BloodRaven55



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, One Shot, Post-Volume 3 (RWBY), Post-Volume 6 (RWBY), cause there be a timeskip lmao, i'm sorry in advance okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 23:02:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19029736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodRaven55/pseuds/BloodRaven55
Summary: Darkness. A smirk. A red sword.“Blake!”





	together we’re here (and that’s all that matters)

_Darkness. A smirk. A red sword._

“Blake!”

The worst moment of her life faded away until there was just the wall of her room, and Yang fell back onto the bed as the adrenaline of the nightmare slowly dissipated. She could feel herself shaking, sweat making her clothes stick uncomfortably to her skin, and she tried to slow her panicked breathing.

It had been months, but she still saw the same horror play out almost every time she closed her eyes. That faceless shadow standing over her partner, pulling his sword out of Blake’s side. And Yang had been too late. She had been too late, and she had ruined her own career—her own life—with one reckless decision.

Worse, she had failed as a partner.

_Blake is alive. Blake is alive. Blake is alive._

She repeated the words in her head like a mantra, reminding herself that her mistake hadn’t destroyed one of the few people most precious to her in all the world.

_Blake is safe. No thanks to you._

No wonder Blake hadn’t stayed. Who would want a partner they couldn’t trust to protect them? Who would want someone that couldn’t even do the one thing they were good for?

Yang glanced over at the prosthetic lying on her bedside table. The dull, lifeless metal was just another reminder of everything that was gone, and she rolled away from it, curling in on herself. Part of her wanted to hate Blake, but she was too weak. She didn’t know how to feel anything but love despite everything that had happened, and she knew she would give her other arm in an instant if it meant that no one would ever hurt Blake again.

She missed her best friend.

The tears came faster than she expected, and all she wanted was for Blake to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

She missed the woman she had fallen in love with.

She wished she could stop— stop nursing a hopeless fantasy that would never come true, stop hurting over the loss of a connection that had clearly only ever existed in her mind. But it was so hard to let go when it was all she had left of the one person she had trusted not to leave her alone.

She buried her face in her hands and cried, sobs wracking her body as she spilled her broken heart onto the pillow.

* * *

_Darkness. A smirk. A red sword._

“Blake!”

Yang’s eyes shot open, and she was met by the cracked plaster that covered the ceiling of a motel room in Atlas. The surge of fear caused by the nightmare receded as she remembered where she was, but frustration quickly replaced it.

Adam was _dead_ — he would never hurt her again. So why was what had happened at Beacon still haunting her?

Much as she didn’t want to admit it, she knew the reason. It didn’t matter if Adam was no longer a threat, because the prospect of dying wasn’t what had scared her most that night.

She sighed, knowing that going back to sleep would be an impossibility when her heart was still racing and her mouth felt drier than Vacuo’s desert. She was about to go and get a glass of water when she noticed the weight making it difficult for her to move.

_Oh._

She looked down, and her breath caught in her throat.

Blake was curled into her side, an arm draped over Yang’s waist like even in sleep she didn’t want to let her go, and Yang was half-convinced that she must still be dreaming. But then she remembered how Ruby had told the two of them that they would have to share a room the previous evening, and she knew it was definitely real.

The last shard of doubt disintegrated, and she finally relaxed.

Blake was alive.

Blake was safe.

Blake was _here_.

Her partner shifted slightly against her, and Yang couldn’t help but admire how beautiful Blake was when she was asleep. She didn’t think she’d ever seen such a peaceful expression on her partner’s face before, and she was suddenly overcome with affection. She pressed a kiss to the top of Blake’s head, and her partner let out a faint noise of contentment.

“Yang?” Blake’s voice was rough with sleep, and Yang immediately felt guilty for selfishly disturbing her partner’s well-earned rest.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got more than enough sleep over the last couple of days.” Blake yawned, and Yang simply raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “Well, maybe I’m a little tired still. But I’m awake now, so you might as well tell me why you woke me up in the middle of the night.”

“I just needed to get some water.”

The lie was even less believable than Blake’s had been, and her partner saw through it instantly.

“Yang, I’m far too sleep-deprived to deal with you being all stubborn and selfless right now.” Blake’s tone softened, and Yang could feel her resistance crumbling. “It’s okay to let me help you. I _want_ to help you. So please, talk to me.”

Yang turned onto her side; if they were going to have this conversation, she wanted to do it face to face.

“It was— it was a nightmare. About Adam.” The images came flooding back, and she could feel the dread all over again, the torture of replaying the memory but knowing she was powerless to change what had already happened. “I was back at Beacon, and I watched him stab you and I was _so sure_ you were going to die and I couldn’t— _I couldn’t save you_.”

Blake’s arms wrapped around her properly, pulling her close, and she realised she was crying.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you. I’m right here, Yang. Everything’s going to be okay, I promise.”

The words only made the tears come faster, but they weren’t fuelled by fear or anguish anymore. It was just pure relief; this was what she had been longing for ever since that night, but what she’d never thought she’d have.

She couldn’t remember the last time someone had taken care of her like this— the last time she’d been the one being comforted instead of the one offering comfort. It was overwhelming, like something inside of her had broken and now everything she’d been holding back for so long could no longer be contained, but it felt good— necessary.

Maybe, just for a moment, she didn’t have to worry about Ruby, about Salem, about Qrow, about Ozpin, about any of it. It was nicer than she could possibly have anticipated, simply letting Blake hold her, and she could feel the tension in her muscles—in her heart—easing just a little.

She knew that tomorrow the stress would probably return, but right now Blake was warm and soft and safe, and maybe it was okay for her just to let herself have this. When she fell asleep again it was with her partner’s fingers running gently through her hair, Blake’s voice low and soothing in her ear, and there were no more nightmares.


End file.
